Willow Green

They ran toward the back door as planned. Rogue rented a car so no one could follow them. Her heart couldn't stop pounding as they quickly strolled outside. She didn't look back like Rogue instructed.

"Do you think they will notice?" She asked when Rogue started driving away.

Rogue nodded. "Yeah maybe after five minutes so put your seat belts on girls, it's gonna be a bumpy ride."

Brie and her glanced at each other and then quickly put on their seatbelts. They were both seated at the back and Rogue was the driver. She held on to the car's handle at the ceiling while Brie gripped her hands at the headrest of the driver's seat.

She felt like they were on a roller coaster ride when Rogue stepped on the accelerator. Although the speed was too fast, she still noticed that they were on a different route. She didn't mind as long as Rogue could take her to Caden.

Brie also noticed that the road they took was somehow different. Rogue was driving for half an hour already and the sun was beginning to set. She glanced at Brie who was already looking outside.

After almost an hour of driving, Rogue finally stopped. She frowned. Brie looked at her and she knew she was beginning to get scared.

"We have to walk from here." Rogue said.

She hesitated. The place was a secluded area. There was nothing but trees and tall grass around.

Rogue laughed. "I thought you were not afraid. But try to look at your faces."

"This is not Club Royale." She finally said.

Rogue nodded. "You said to bring you to him. He's not in Club Royale. He's here."

She frowned and looked around again.

"But there's nothing in here."

"As I said, we need to walk from here. We don't have much time. Are you coming or not?" Rogue asked impatiently.

She removed her seatbelt and opened the car door. Brie followed.

"What's this place?" Brie asked.

"Willow Green."

She never heard of the place. She didn't even know it existed. But Brie looked so surprised and looked like she knew something about it.

"This is where it started." Brie whispered.

"Started?" She frowned.

She looked at Brie and Rogue who were staring at something. When she looked forward, her eyes widened to see a big rusty old sign that says Willow Green.

And there it was. An old abandoned small town. From the looks of it, the town was once a lively and beautiful place. But now it was full of tall grasses, vines and roots that had held on every bit they could get of Willow Green. The sterile and clean-looking town now seemed more like a forest because of the hedges and gardens that grew beyond its ragged borders.

Most gates still stood in their structures as if nothing had changed. A few were still ajar for one reason or another, possibly left open in a dash. Shattered roof tiles lay on the streets and lawns and crusty, parched paint faded from the walls and banisters.

The whole town was now somewhat consumed by nature. Old cars parked in front of the houses and they saw the mayor's office was ripped down. Silence had taken hold and it would've been deafening if it were not for the sounds of insects buzzing around the area.

"I didn't know this place exist." She said.

"Because this town has been removed from the map." Brie answered.

She grabbed Brie's hand to stop her from walking.

"Brie, what did you mean by what you said? You said this is where it all started."

Brie took a deep breath and turned her gaze around the place.

"This is where Caden's grandmother was murdered. Uncle Jayden's old house is here. And this is also the place where you can reach Creepy Willow."

"You did your research." Rogue said.

Her head was starting to throb. She closed her eyes for a moment and stared into Brie's eyes. She didn't say a word. She didn't ask any question but Brie understood her.

"You really don't know anything." Brie started. "Creepy Willow is a forbidden forest located in that part of Willow Green." Brie continued while pointing at a dark eerie area of the town.

"There's a cabin in that area. And from what I know, your parents, Uncle Percy and Aunt Sophia were kidnapped when they were just around ten years old. They were brought in that cabin. That was the reason for your mother's illness. It was caused by that incident. They didn't tell you about it?" Brie said.

She shook her head. "No. Dad never told us. I thought it was something hereditary."

Rogue suddenly grabbed their hands and dragged them inside one of the houses. They were confused, but their confusion changed to fear when they heard a vehicle approaching. Rogue told them to be quiet and stay low.

"Is it the Forelli's?" She asked.

Rogue nodded. "Yes."

"Then why are we hiding?" Brie asked.

"Because you're here." Rogue answered.

They stayed in that house and waited for the sun to set. Rogue said it would be best to sneak in when it's dark and so they waited.

"How did you know that my parents were kidnapped?" She asked Brie.

"I had been looking for answers myself. Ever since I found out about Benjamin's escape from prison, I tried everything to find him. During those searches, I came across about this place and dig further. Did you know what I find out?" Brie asked.

"What is it?"

"Your mom was injected with some serum. I don't know what it's called, but it caused her to have an altered memory. That's the reason she forgot everything and everyone after the kidnapping." Brie continued.

She let herself fall on the floor. Did Lucas know about it? How about Caden? Brie knows, but she didn't. Why would everyone hide something important to her? She asked herself.

"Alira!" Brie called. "Talk to Caden. You have the right to know. You're not weak. You just have to know what to do after finding out the truth."

Brie was younger than her, but she was more mature and useful than her. And she could never accept that. She can't be protected all the time.

She stood up and then turned to Rogue.

"Bring me to your boss now!" She said in a firm tone.